Breast cancer is immunogenic and multiple tumor antigens have been identified using serum from breast cancer patients. The immunogenicity of breast cancer may be potentially utilized for the detection of the disease. Likewise, there is also evidence that ovarian cancer is immunogenic. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, striking 140,000 people annually and causing 60,000 deaths. Although the use of endoscopic screening is increasing, overall compliance in undergoing the procedure is poor. It is critical to develop a non-invasive test for the early detection of CRC.
There is a need to identify serum antibodies to tumor associated antigens that can be detected in cancer patients and may be used as biomarkers for cancer diagnosis.